Inside Asian Gaming

IAG DEC 2022年12月 亞博匯 40 COVER STORY Solaire Resort already holds a dominant 34% of market share among its Entertainment City peers, with Newport World Resorts at 25%, Okada Manila 22% and City of Dreams Manila at 19%. Perhaps the most interesting transformation, however, is the one taking place further north in Clark. Best known as the long- time home of the US military’s Clark Air Base, the area has since been designated as a Special Economic Zone with the Clark Main Zone, an area covering 4,400 hectares, designated a Freeport Zone in 2007. Covering more than half of that space is the old Clark Air Base, now Clark International Airport, which at 2,400 hectares is four times larger thanManila’s NAIA. And it is the existence of this airport – complete with a brand new US$250 million passenger terminal – that has facilitated Clark’s emergence as the Philippines’ latest gaming tourism hub. Among the early movers in this space was Mr Han, who first visited the area as a tourist in 2005 and immediately recognized its potential. He opened the hotel Widus three years later, added a casino in 2009 and has since invested around US$600 million into what is now Hann Casino Resort, featuring the Philippines’ first Swissôtel – opened earlier this year – plus specialty dining options, retail outlets, a swimming pool, an executive lounge and MICE facilities. “In five years’ time there will be quite a lot more golf courses [in Clark], and this is going to be a golfing destination.” 「五年後，（克拉克）將會有更多的高爾夫 球場，這裏將成為高爾夫球目的地。」